My son, Darth Nader and his wife Perla will become parents in a few days. Perla has been in the hospital for a week with pre-eclampsia, and her doctor plans to induce labor next week. She is at 34 weeks now so they are a little unprepared. They have a car seat but not much else. It has been a long time since I brought a newborn home, so I need a list of things they will need. My son is a little preoccupied with his wife’s condition just now, so I want to help by shopping for them. They live in a tiny apartment and don’t have much room. So what are the basics they will need when they take their baby boy home?
Congratulations. As the mother of a (full-term) 4 year old and (33 week) 10 month old triplets, let me say there is little they really need at first.
If the baby is born at 34-35 weeks, there is a good chance he will spend an extra week or so in the hospital, to master the ability to bottle or breast feed; he may need tube feedings and monitoring until he has the firm ability to swallow and breathe at the same time. But that is just “feeding and growing” and not a cause for alarm.
The baby will need a place to sleep; this can be a crib, a bassinet, a cradle, or in bed with his parents depending on their particular persuasion. With a preemie, cobedding may be less advisable (but I am not an expert on this subject). My suggestion would be to get a bassinet or cradle to put next to mom’s bed so that she has easy access to the baby for nighttime feedings.
Other than that? Newborn diapers - 2 cases (don’t get more because he will grow out of them very fast). I prefer Pampers, have had leaks with Huggies. Baby wipes, diaper rash ointment. If mom is not breastfeeding or if baby is not able to, formula - however, preemies often are on special formula until 40 weeks. You may want to buy half a dozen bottles with newborn nipples - I would recommend Dr. Brown’s - they are more expensive but are WONDERFUL for avoiding gas and colic.
If you are buying clothes, don’t buy preemie clothes - they are only good up to 5 pounds and are generally a waste if you don’t have a micropreemie. Get 6-8 warm and comfortable 0-3 month footed sleepers, along with a bunch of undershirts and 6-8 receiving blankets for swaddling and bundling baby up.
That’s about all the baby needs. There are lots of fancy things that are optional - we have a Diaper Genie that we swear by but it’s not necessary - just tie off the diapers and throw them away in a diaper pail. The baby doens’t need toys or videos or books or stuffed animals yet. He just needs food, clothes, diapers, a place to sleep, and mom and dad.
Good luck!
Karen
I thought of a couple of more things that we found useful, but not necessary.
Baby seat - one of those neat ergonomic-looking recliners that baby can nap in and that come with vibrators, and bells and whistles (toys and music) for when baby is a little older and more aware and needs entertainment.
A sling - in case mom or dad wants to wear baby around the house instead of putting him down. A front pack by Baby Bjorn will work equally well.
A stroller - however be aware that RSV season starts October 15 and in general it is better to limit newborns (especially preemies’) contact with other people as they don’t have the same ability to fight off the flu and RSV that older kids do. It’s a good idea to avoid malls, churches, etc until the baby is older and the height of flu season is over. However a stroller can be useful for neighborhood walks if it’s not cold (or if you live in a warmer climate than me!)
A baby swing - to rock baby down when he’s fussy. I never used one with my first single baby, he didn’t like them. However we had 3 with the triplets and they were lifesavers. I would highly recommend the Fisher Price Aquarium Cradle Swing. It goes side-to-side and is very lulling and soothing.
Karen
Small babies (especially premmies) have trouble regulating their body temperature because they have so little body fat. Get a few of the little baby stocking caps (the hospital will probably send one home with him too). I’ll second karenow 's suggestion of receiving blankets - I use them for burp cloths (Baby Sekhmet spits up a lot) as well as wrapping the baby up.
Another very useful item is a playmat of some type. I have a small quilt that is great for just throwing on the floor and can be rolled up and taken everywhere. Even a little baby can use some tummy time on the floor (maybe not for the first week or two, with a premmie).
Congratulations and best wishes for your son and his family!
Thank you both. Baby Darth is expected to arrive Monday. Darth Nader and I will do some shopping Sunday while Mom-to-be is taken care of in the hospital.
I had preeclampsia and was induced at 35 weeks. The pediatricians all insisted that I must have my dates wrong once they saw the baby, though - they said there was no way she was less than 37 weeks. Meanwhile, the OB’s are saying “Duh! You can’t get pregnant on the first day of your period, you morons!” :rolleyes:
But I digress.
In addition to the item above, if the baby will be breastfed, get a Boppy pillow for Mom. Mine was the second thing (after the baby) that I would have carried out in a fire.
For a stroller, you may want to get one of the “frames” that holds a carseat - the baby needs a lot of support in the stroller at first, which the carseat provides.
Congratulations!